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Day 1337– Your Face Tells the Story – Humor Unplugged

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1337 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Face Tells The Story – Humor Unplugged

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1337 of our Trek, and time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Humor Unplugged. Our Thursday podcast will provide a short and clean funny story to help you lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life. Something to cheer you and provide a bit a levity in your life. We are told in Proverbs 15:30 A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health. We are also encouraged in Proverbs 17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. Consider this your vitamin supplement of cheer for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s funny which is titled:

Your Face Tells The Story

Miss Smith gazed out her classroom window as her class of third graders played on the playground during recess. Her attention landed on Jimmy and Sammy, who were in a tussle at the far end. They chased each other back and forth, so Miss Smith thought she should nip it in the bud before it got out of hand, and one of them got hurt.

As she approached them, Jimmy and Sammy saw her coming, and they sat at opposite sides of a bench and made terrible faces at each other. Miss Smith sat down between them and asked, “now Jimmy and Sammy, what seems to be the problem between you two.” Neither of them spoke, but just continued to make horrid faces at each other. Trying not to put more fuel on the fire, and wanting to help them to learn how to get along with each other, Miss Smith smiled sweetly at both of them and said. “Now Jimmy and Sammy, when I was a child, I was told if I made ugly faces, it would freeze, and I would stay like that.”

Both Jimmy and Sammy stared at her intently for what seemed a very long time. Finally, Sammy looked at her with all seriousness and said: “Well, Miss Smith, you can’t say you weren’t warned.”Both Jimmy and Sammy stared at her intently for what seemed a very long time. Finally, Sammy looked at her with all seriousness and said: “Well, Miss Smith, you can’t say you weren’t warned.”

I hope that brought a smile to your face today. If it did pass your smile onto some else, we all could use a good smile. Our Thursday thought is: Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.

James 1:22-24

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.

Just as you enjoy these nuggets of humor, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’ If you would like to listen to any of our past 1331 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com.  I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player, so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you in through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

  1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
  2. Love Unconditionally
  3. Listen Intentionally
  4. Learn Continuously
  5. Lend to others Generously
  6. Lead with Integrity
  7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!

Day 1336 – Mastering The Bible – Prophecy and Prophets – Worldview Wednesday

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1336 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Mastering the Bible – Prophecy and Prophets – Worldview Wednesday

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1336 of our Trek, and it is Worldview Wednesday. Creating a Biblical Worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical Worldview, it is required that you also have a proper understanding of God and His Word. Our focus for the next several months on Worldview Wednesday is Mastering the Bible, through a series of brief insights. These insights are extracted from a book of the same title from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars, Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. This book is a collection of insights designed to help you understand the Bible better. When we let the Bible be what it is, we can understand it as the original readers did, and as its writers intended. Each week we will explore two insights.

Mastering The Bible – Prophecy and Prophets

Insight Forty-Three: Most of the Material in the Prophetic Books Isn’t about Predicting the Future

As we begin a new section in Dr. Heiser’s book, our focus now turns to the prophets of the Old Testament. In popular usage, Christian or otherwise, the word “prophet” is associated with foretelling the future. That’s understandable when it comes to the Bible, since both testaments have prophetic figures making predictive statements about what will come to pass in the future. Despite that truth, it doesn’t take long when reading the prophets to discern that most of what they do isn’t about predicting anything. More than anything else, prophets were actually preachers. Scholars like to say that a prophet spent more time “forth-telling” than “fore-telling.”

What did prophets preach about? Righteousness, mostly. To be more precise, prophets spent most of their ministry railing against the sin and idolatry of the people of Israel and Judah. They were constantly reminding the people of their covenant relationship to God—how they had been rescued from Egypt, delivered at the Red Sea, and given the Law so that they could live happy, productive lives in accord with the God who loved them.

Israel, as a nation, had publicly proclaimed at Sinai that they would obey God’s law (Exodus 24). Prophets were vocal reminders of that promise. In that respect, they were basically covenant enforcers. They demanded that the people honor their relationship to God. In essence, they were preachers.It’s because of this role that we have the modern expression about “speaking with a prophetic voice.” When you hear that phrase, it doesn’t concern predicting the future. Rather, the point is that some man or woman is bold enough to tell the truth when it’s unpopular or even dangerous. That’s what prophets did, and they paid dearly for it.

Modern Bible readers have largely lost the correct orientation for reading the prophets. Talk about the future and discerning “the signs of the times” is more titillating than having someone tell you about your sin. But that’s crucial for walking with God. Someone needs to tell the truth. Prophets didn’t do it because they enjoyed it. They knew their ministry wasn’t going to make them popular. They did it because God wanted to rescue people from judgment.

That alone is a lesson for us today. Most contemporary preaching is about making us feel good about ourselves. There is no warning. It’s more important to realize that God loves us and wants us to turn from sin so he can bless us. Our Maker knows that a clear conscience and forgiveness are keys to happiness on earth.

Without a prophetic voice, we deceive ourselves into defining a rewarding life as self-gratification and “looking out for number one.” The prophets force us to be honest with ourselves and with God. We can heed their words or reap what we sow. May Scripture awaken us to return to a forgiving God and trusting Him with life and salvation.

Insight Forty-Four: Prophets Weren’t Crazy Men…Mostly

One of the themes in the academic study of the prophets is the ecstatic behavior of prophetic figures. Prophets fell into trances, convulsed, and participated in otherwise strange conduct. The idea stems in large part from ancient Near Eastern parallels that refer to such figures with a vocabulary similar or identical to that found in the Old Testament.

The notion might sound odd, but there is biblical precedent for it. For example, prior to becoming Israel’s first king, an episode in Saul’s life gives us some insight in 1 Samuel 10:9-11:

As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day. When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy. When those who knew Saul heard about it, they exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet? How did the son of Kish become a prophet?”

Elsewhere in the Old Testament, the coming of the Spirit on a person enabled superhuman strength, such as with Samson In Judges 14:6, 19. There was also special wisdom in Isaiah 11:2, and visions in Ezekiel 37. It was often associated with divine enablement for a specific task, like kingship 1 Samuel 16:13-14, and judgeship Judges 3:10; 6:34). The notion of ecstatic behavior, however, more clearly comes from the odd behavior of certain prophets.

Ezekiel is likely the most familiar example of strange prophetic conduct. God told Ezekiel to do several strange things. Ezekiel was told to draw a picture of the city of Jerusalem on a brick tablet and then smash it as a visual aid of how the city would be under siege in Ezekiel 4:1-3. God commanded him to lie on his left side for 390 days, and then forty more on his right side to symbolically commemorate Judah’s punishment in exile in Ezekiel 4:4-8. Ezekiel shaved his head with a sword, then after dividing the hair into three piles, burnt a third, hacked another third with the sword, and scattered the rest into the wind. This was another illustration of what would happen to Judah and its population. This story is found in Ezekiel 5:1-12. On yet another occasion, God told him to publicly dig through a wall and escape through it with the baggage of an exile in Ezekiel 12:1-12. If the themes of his behavior hadn’t been so disturbing, he’d have been a source of regular entertainment.

Ezekiel isn’t the norm, though. The prophecy was mostly about preaching, not unusual abilities to predict the future, or performing bizarre and symbolic acts. Some prophets did such things; some did not. In any regard, they were not mentally unbalanced. Whatever God told them to do, or when the Spirit came upon them, there was a point to it. God had a message, and that message needed to be taken seriously.

That will conclude this week’s lesson on another two insights from Dr. Heiser’s book “Mastering The Bible.” Next Worldview Wednesday, we will continue with two additional insights. I believe you will find each Worldview Wednesday an interesting topic to consider as we build our Biblical worldview.

Tomorrow we will continue with our 3-minute Humor nugget that will provide you with a bit of cheer, which will help you to lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’If you would like to listen to any of our past 1335 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most of all, your friend as I serve you in through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

  1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
  2. Love Unconditionally
  3. Listen Intentionally
  4. Learn Continuously
  5. Lend to others Generously
  6. Lead with Integrity
  7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you Tomorrow!

Day 1335 – A Grateful Thought – Wisdom Unplugged

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1335 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

A Grateful Thought – Wisdom Unplugged

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1335 of our Trek, and it is time for our 3-minute mini trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit of additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from  Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, and it is:    A single grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer. 

A Grateful Thought

Gratefulness is important, yes, very important. What are some of the reasons we do not express our gratitude more frequently? Are we too proud? Are we too selfish? Are we so wrapped up within ourselves that it doesn’t even come to mind? Until we realize that all that we have, including the very next breath that we take, comes from God, we will not be as grateful as we should be. James 1:16-18 puts it this way. So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.In other words, all that we have, or ever hope to be, comes from a gracious and loving God. When we acknowledge this, and thank God for it, then that becomes a most perfect prayer.  As we read in Psalm 50:14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.

Once we get our vertical thanksgiving correct, that is between ourselves and God, then we can turn our gratitude horizontally. We should easily, freely, and often express our gratitude to our fellow humans. This gratitude needs to be both in word and in deed.Even if some days are difficult, and it is hard to be thankful, there is always someone or something in our lives to be grateful for. Especially on those dark days, instead of seeking someone to show kindness to you, turn the tables and show kindness to someone else. In doing so, you will soon realize that the blessings are returned to you, and be thankful. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 11,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’ If you would like to listen to any of our past 1334 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you in through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

  1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
  2. Love Unconditionally
  3. Listen Intentionally
  4. Learn Continuously
  5. Lend to others Generously
  6. Lead with Integrity
  7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow for Worldview Wednesday!

 

Day 1334 – Fix Your Thoughts – Meditation Monday

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1334 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Fix Your Thoughts – Meditation Monday

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1334 of our trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy.

For you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. You may utilize structured meditation practices. In my life, meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and praying. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and make sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you, too, will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind.

In order to properly meditate, we must have a proper mindset or attitude. We must fix our thoughts on appropriate life attributes. So today, let us consider…

Fix Your Thoughts

To fix something, that either implies that something is broken or it needs our undivided attention so that it does not become broken. Both of these concepts could be applied to today’s meditation. Before we can fix or focus our thoughts, we must plug into the proper mindset. This is what meditation allows us to do. Before we study this further, let me set the background by reading Philippians 4:4-9, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again — rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considered in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me — everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

This is a great passage to establish a mindset of meditation. First, we clear our minds of that which is detrimental, then we fill our minds with that which is beneficial.

Sometimes the trials and pressures of life make it almost impossible to be happy. But Paul did not tell his readers to be happy. He encouraged them to be full of joy in the Lord. In fact, he said it twice in verse 4. Not some of the time, but always. Not just a little joy, but full of joy. Christ is the One in whom the sphere of rejoicing was to take place. Surely there are many circumstances in which Christians cannot be happy. But they can always be full of joy in the Lord and delight in Him. Paul himself was an excellent example of one who had inner joy when external circumstances—such as persecution, imprisonment, the threat of death—were against him.

In addition to joy, believers are to be considerate or gentle, which should be evident to everyone. This suggests a forbearing, non-retaliatory spirit. Joy, an inner quality in relation to circumstances, may not always be seen; but the way one reacts to others, whether in gentleness or harshness, will be noticed. Why be gentle? Because the Lord is coming soon.

Joy and gentleness, accompanied with an awareness of Christ’s imminent return, should dispel anxiety. Paul’s appeal to the Philippians is don’t worry or be anxious about anything. This was not a call to a carefree or careless life. To care and be genuinely concerned is one thing. To worry is another. Paul and Timothy cared for the people they ministered to, yet they retained trust in God. Jesus warned against worry, which obviously negates, or even eliminates trust in God. Matthew 6:25–33 is a great passage for further meditation on overcoming worry.

Paul exhorted the Philippians to pray instead of worry. Praying with thanksgiving involves trusting God. Four words are used here to describe a believer’s communion with God. Prayer (proseuchē) describes a believer’s approach to God. Petition (deēsei) emphasizes requesting an answer to a specific need. Thanksgiving (eucharistias) is an attitude of heart that should always accompany one’s prayers. Requests (aitēmata) speak of definite and specific things asked for.

When the exhortations of verses 4–6 are heeded, then you will experience God’s peace (v. 7), which will exceed anything that you can understand. The Lord Jesus Christ is a believer’s peace (Ephesians 2:14), and every child of God has peace with God through justification by faith (Romans 5:1). But the peace of (or from) God relates to the inner tranquility of a believer’s close walk with God.

This peace of God does exceed anything that we can understand. That is, it is beyond a person’s ability to comprehend. This peace guards your heart and mind, which is the prerequisite for meditation. Guard (phrourēsei, also used in 1 Peter 1:5) translates a military term, which means “to protect or garrison by guarding.” Like soldiers assigned to watch over a certain area, God’s peace guards the hearts and minds, that is, the emotions and thoughts, of God’s children.

Now that we have prepared our minds by establishing a proper mindset, we are now prepared to fix our thoughts.

By the words, and now, Paul indicated he was getting to the point of proper meditation. Six attributes are mentioned as objects of a wholesome thought life, which we are to fix or focus on. Here are those attributes.

True – things are, of course, the opposite of dishonest and unreliable.

Honorable – refers to what is dignified and worthy of respect.

Right – refers to conformity to God’s standards.

Pure – refers to what is wholesome, not mixed with moral impurity.

Lovely – speaks of what promotes peace rather than conflict.

Admirable – relates to what is positive and constructive rather than negative and destructive.

These six attributes of thought are then described as excellent and worthy of praise.

The Christian life involves proper thinking, which is focused thinking. Fixing our thoughts. The Christian life also includes doing righteous deeds.

Since the Philippians knew Paul well, he could ask them to follow his example. They had learned, received, and heard from him. I pray that you can say the same about me. As we put these things into practice, through meditation, then the God of Peace will be with us.

That is a wrap for today’s meditation. Next week, we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 1333 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player, so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most of all, your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

  1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
  2. Love Unconditionally
  3. Listen Intentionally
  4. Learn Continuously
  5. Lend to others Generously
  6. Lead with Integrity
  7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!

Day 1333 – Overcoming Being a Coward – Ask Gramps

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Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 1333 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Overcoming Being A Coward – Ask Gramps

Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1333 of our Trek and time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday, we will ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life, and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy. As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time where we can ‘Ask Gramps.’  Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason, this is not possible. No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask dad or gramps questions about life in many areas.

We may mix it up a bit on our Friday episodes, but will strive to keep them down to earth and enjoyable.  If you have any questions that you would like to ask Gramps, please email them to guthrie@wisdom-trek.com

So the question for this week is:

“Hey Gramps, there are times when I feel like a coward. I don’t stand up for what I feel is important even when it comes to defending my faith. Do you have tips that can help me gain courage? 

Overcoming Being a Coward

For most people, they struggle with fear, self-doubt, and a lack of faith that God has everything under control. Even Joshua, who was Moses’s understudy for nearly 40 years, needed God’s encouragement before taking over as the leader of the nation of Israel. Joshua 1:6-9 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Let me tell you about another story. John Callender was a young officer under George Washington in the Revolutionary War. He failed miserably during the Battle of Bunker Hill and was dismissed from the army for behaving as a coward. On his papers, Gen. Washington wrote this: “Cowardice a crime, of all others the most injurious, and the last to be forgiven.“

To his credit, Callender allowed his shame and embarrassment to move him to try to make up for what he had done and to redeem his good name. He didn’t join the Redcoats. He didn’t commit suicide. Instead, he re-enlisted as a private and behaved with such obvious courage at the Battle of Long Island that Washington revoked his earlier sentence and reinstated him as a captain.

The story of John Callender has a lesson in it for all of us. Nobody goes through life without episodes of weakness, failure, and humiliation. Those with the courage to begin again are people to be respected.It isn’t easy, to be honest with oneself about failure and sin. The tendency is to be defensive and proud. Scripture holds that such a spirit hinders forgiveness in James 4:6-10: And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,

“God opposes the proud

but gives grace to the humble.”

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

 In other words, “It isn’t easy, to be honest with oneself about failure and sin.”

In spite of the difficulty in starting again from scratch, there is even a way to learn from past failures and to achieve successes that might have been impossible otherwise. This time you know the things to avoid, the dangerous temptations that can turn you back from your goal, and the frailties within your own personality. Having failed and knowing what contributed to your failure, you can take steps that make success far more likely in the new effort.Few have ever failed Jesus more miserably than Peter. He was a chosen apostle, a special friend to the Lord, and a leader among his peers. He promised the Lord that he would be faithful even if all the others turned away. Yet, Peter fled when Jesus was arrested and denied him three times in the high priest’s courtyard. When Jesus later gave Peter the chance to begin again, he took it and made the best of it. This story of redemption and restoration can be found in, John 21:15-23. Let me share that story with you.

After breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.

Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.

A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.

 “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”

Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?” Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”

Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” So the rumor spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

 

Look at your situation. Are you any worse off than Peter? If you are grieving, your failure, sin, and confusion, have the courage to throw yourself on God’s mercy and to ask his help to begin again.

That is a wrap for today’s question. Join us again next Friday for another question on our ‘Ask Gramps’ episode. Our next trek is Mediation Monday, where we will help you reflect on what is most important in life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along on Monday for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’If you would like to listen to any of the past 1332 daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player, so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most of all, your friend as I serve you in through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

  1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
  2. Love Unconditionally
  3. Listen Intentionally
  4. Learn Continuously
  5. Lend to others Generously
  6. Lead with Integrity
  7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you on Monday!